B20A transmission advice - yes I've searched!

[zedries]

Hi Guys, first time poster - long time lurker.

The name's Zaahir and I'm in Australia - Usually over on pp.com for the obvious reason that I have two ludes.

More importantly, I'm over on 3geez specifically because I came across the fabled B20A2nd Gen Lude (be nice) with a ton of options and a slipping/shuddering transmission.

You can check out my thread at PP.com so I don't have to type too much which is int he 2g section called JDM GOLD TOP B20A - Ozzy Style. sorry - don't even have 5 posts yet to paste a link.. LOL!
EDIT - Post count up: http://www.preludepower.com/forums/s...d.php?t=330203


I've read through many threads on 3geez about the compatibility of the B18A transmission with the B20A transmission and how the A20A transmission can fit in the B18A bellhousing and I think I'm over the initial confusion and have a couple of questions about the auto transmission I have remembering I'm not a total noob and have made an effort trying to find these answers myself and that I will (hopefully at the end of the year) have enough cash together to get a Manual conversion from my friends over the Tasman (New Zealand):


Are there rebuild kits or gasket kits available for the B20A auto transmission?;

If so does anyone have part numbers/details?;

What are my best options in nursing a shuddering transmission back to life for a 1200km journey; and

WHat general advice can you give me about these 160hp beasts?

Oh, and any pointers to successful rebuilds would be great!

Thaanks very much guys.
Zaahir

P.S. What do you guys think of "Bolt on" turbo kits? I saw one on eBay for about US$684

[Hauntd ca3]

i dont know anyone thats rebuilt one, coz its cheaper to do a manual conversion.
i priced it when the auto in my si blew its guts and i could have done nearly 3 manual conversions for the same price as rebuilding the auto.
i think thats prob the better idea eh.

[zedries]

yep - that's the plan but the car is located in Melbourne and needs to make its way to Sydney for the manual conversion. My friend who picked it up for me in Melbourne said there's a tranny leak too.

Perhaps I can change a seal and torque the bolts down whilst flushing the box and add a couple of treatments. Do you guys think that would be of assistnace or are there other things I should be looking out for? Any special points where the leak would be?

Thanks
Z

[2oodoor]

it sounds like the torque converter control in not working right...
since I installed a B20a into an carbed car body I didnt have any controls or electronics so I have toggle switches on solenoid A and solenoid B.
These are off during regular driving and when I get on the road and settled in I switch on A then B.
Solenoid A is partial lock up and B is full lock up. When I coast on a hill I switch off B (sometimes both) then when I get planed out again I turn them back on. They always have to be off in low speed driiving and stopping or it shudders and acts up.
Look around the solenoid mounting "manifold" block on top of the tranny, if your solenoids are stuck or not being controled by TCM
that could create undooly pressure there and cause it to leak right there.
https://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65645

[A18A]

what i would do is have a plan B, which is someone from home to come out and rescue me with some tow rope in case I break down while taking the risk of driving it back in its poor condition. I would also take some ATF on the trip. lol but that's just me.

[zedries]

it sounds like the torque converter control in not working right...
since I installed a B20a into an carbed car body I didnt have any controls or electronics so I have toggle switches on solenoid A and solenoid B.
These are off during regular driving and when I get on the road and settled in I switch on A then B.
Solenoid A is partial lock up and B is full lock up. When I coast on a hill I switch off B (sometimes both) then when I get planed out again I turn them back on. They always have to be off in low speed driiving and stopping or it shudders and acts up.
Look around the solenoid mounting "manifold" block on top of the tranny, if your solenoids are stuck or not being controled by TCM
that could create undooly pressure there and cause it to leak right there.

Very interesting. I'm not 100% how this all works but I will definitely read through your post. It's difficult because the car's so far away but I'll find a way of checking the solenoids. I also saw something in your thread about TCM's - something I haven't encountered owning manual carbed cars so I'll have to do more research there too.

Thanks
Z

P.S. Really gotta get this post count up - I couldn't even quote your post properly because it had a link in it!

[zedries]

what i would do is have a plan B, which is someone from home to come out and rescue me with some tow rope in case I break down while taking the risk of driving it back in its poor condition. I would also take some ATF on the trip. lol but that's just me.

Yeah totally have a plan B. My cousin races/drifts sprinters so they have a ute and a car trailer... that's gonna hurt the pocket on fuel though... Hopefully it won't come to that.

And I realise it's pricey to rebuild internals but does anyone even have part numbers for the B20A auto trans? Would help me get an idea of the next move if someone has them?

Z

[zedries]

bump for part numbers?

Also, anyone have images of the trans? I'd like to get a visual of what I'm dealing with.

Z

[b20a86lude]

333333333 hey do some searching hAHA

[88LXi68]

333333333 hey do some searching hAHA

you should take your own advice.

good luck OP, not too many b20a swaps on this board to begin with let alone auto

[Civic Accord Honda]

i reckon auto b20a's are pretty common over in nzdm land, its the 5speeds that are rare as fack, but its not going to be cheap. ><

[zedries]

Thanks for all the reply's people. Now I've been over seas for a couple of months but it's crunch time and I'm flying to see my car and try and get her to a reasonable driving state. Before i left I thought i found an auto transmission - turns out i didn't because everyone says they can recondition but don't have auto or manual... so it seems I have 2 choices - pay a packet to have someone recondition the transmission or do the old switcheroo and pull the transmission off and use A20 internals in the B20 bellhousing...

Whilst I don't like the idea of option 1 because i'm kinda broke, option 2 looks decidedly diffiult. I haven't pulled apart a transmission in over 5 years!

How hard will this really be? I recall reading somewhere that accordB20A did it with a manual...

So my question is does anyone have any pointers/ steps on doing this job? I'm concerned with all the solenoid business that things are not as simple as "put the A20 internals in the B20 bell housing". Your urgent input is appreciated.
Z

EDIT - can someone give me part numbers for the auto tranny? i keep having the F4 and N6 being thrown at me by wreckers and I'm like "no that's for the A20 engine".

[A18A]

i think i've read somewhere here that the only difference between the a20a & b20a auto boxes are the bellhousings. my b20a autos are also N6 boxes

[2oodoor]

i think i've read somewhere here that the only difference between the a20a & b20a auto boxes are the bellhousings. my b20a autos are also N6 boxes

They seem to be made about the same but the solenoid controled torque converter is the questionable issue.. the bell housing is different in that regard as wel not just bolt pattern.

[zedries]

Thanks for the reply -

so to clarify, roodoo2, you say there may be problems with the solenoids? How so? I recall you having issues in your thread with the tourque converter. I spoke to a Honda guy who said there shouldn't ever be troubles witht he tourque converters and that it's more likely for the clutches and thrust bearings to shit themselves slowly.

A18A - i don't quite follow. Are you saying the B20A auto's are stamped as N6's? If so that's going to make things confusing, or are you simply saying the transmissions inside are the same and the bell housings are the only differences?

Anyway, i'm still hunting for a second had tranny - got someone checking for me now.
Zaahir

[zedries]

Hey peoples - just got a call from a guy who says he may have a transmission for me so if soemone out there has an automatic transmission i'd REALLY like the sticker reference from it so i can match it up with the one this seller has. I have been searching for hours and all I come up with is the 5speed B2K F2K references... HEEEEELP!

[A18A]

watcha mean by sticker reference? the ones to get are indeed the B2K5 & F2K5 ones

oh and yeah my b20a auto gearboxes are stamped as N6's

[zedries]

watcha mean by sticker reference? the ones to get are indeed the B2K5 & F2K5 ones

oh and yeah my b20a auto gearboxes are stamped as N6's

sorry, yeah I meant where the label is supposed to be with a number on is. i looked at the factory manual and it seems to say the identifier is a sticker above the pseudo dip stick. I thought the B2K5 and the F2K5 are both 5speed boxes?

So it's confirmed then - same transmission in the A20 and the B20 Auto, just different bell housing.

The guy just said he has a transmission from a B20A1 - does that sound right? Would someone be willing to point me in the direction of a picture and not a diagram so that I can make some comparisons - it's tough to do on the car that's still got it in!
Z

[A18A]

oh yeah, the b2k5 & f2k5 gearboxes are the 5spd manual ones. yup a gearbox from a b20a1 would be the correct one (i didn't know b20a1s came in auto tho). sorry i'm a bit confused in what i'm talking about lol. do you want photos of a b20a gearbox? i can get some if you want

[zedries]

That would be awsome dude. if you have some of an auto gearbox with one showing the bolt pattern for where it meets with the engine and some generally around it things will be much easier for me.
Z

[A18A]

here you goooo

[zedries]

Thanks buddy. Makes me want to be extra nice to the kiwi admin girl who sits outside my office.. You guys are aaaaallright.

[2oodoor]

you should be nice anyway^^

also what I am saying in this thread is the A20 auto box does not use the solenoid controled torque converter and the B20A DOES, so maybe that means use the A20 torque converter too

[zedries]

Oh now I see what you mean about the torque converter. I'm about to buy this second hand box and if it turns out to be the wrong one at least i'll have a better idea about the A20 hybrid.

Z

P.S. Touche' .. i should always be nice.

Thanks again guys. Will update after i have the box in my hot little hands!

[zedries]

Hey guys - new transmission = fail..

They gave me the worng one.. It's either an A20 or a B20A3 fron a third gen... not sure but it didn't have the solenoids and totally different bolt pattern. Here's the update I did on pp.com:

hey peeps.. as you may have seen in the thread i my signature after all the fidgeting about with the transmission and refilling as well as adding a rather pricey transmission treatment I still have problems.. i took her out for a drive and found a couple of quirks.. The front wiper needs attention and a few of the light bulbs need to be changed. I also can't wait to slap another front bumper on the car because the one on it is cracked and repaired with staples and body filler.. ghetto!

So, to the bad bits.. the transmission is not good enough to be driven some 9 hours. Gear selection whilst parked works fine but there's a definite shudder in the gear change between 2nd and third then third to fourth. once i fourth it cruises reasonably well.

Other things I noticed was front of the engine bay was FULL of grease and oil... I literally had to scrape some off and them sprayed some degreaser on it which took a fair bit off.

I inspected the engine and removed the rocker cover and the engine itself looks to be in pretty good condition - no wear on the lobes and no gunk in the oil at all. Contrary to the previous owners reports, the car does not seem to leak at all although i think Hayden will check it again to be sure as it's still under the car port.

There's only one or two things that may need replacing being a second thermal fan and a power steering boot/ dust cover which is cracked but doesn't seem to affect the mechanism at all. Spark plugs were in good order and the car isn't running rich or lean from visual inspection and the leads are still decent however both will be replaced.

And in saying all of this would you believe this is the ORIGINAL engine.. Yep - the engine number (under all that rubbish) matched the factory plate on the firewall... I believe it's done about 220XXXkm and all things considered is in remarkable condition.

Alas, we only had so much time and between the rain and blistering cold (ok, maybe not blistering but seriously cold) we did get a fair bit done... We took pics on various mediums so they'll be up eventually... No cruise though given the time constraints.. next time.

Any auto transmission experts out there.. your advice is needed and very much appreciated.

After 2 and a bit hours sleep and a flight back to Sydney I'm sitting at my desk back at work so apologies if any of this is incoherent.

Hayden, you're a legend - see you again soon.

(I'll copy this post in my JDM thread)